2015 in Review

It’s the end of another busy and successful year for the California Pool and Spa Association. 2015 brought with it many challenges both planned for and unexpected, but thanks to the support of our members and allies in the pool and spa industry, the CPSA was able to rise to meet them. While the CPSA has been a longtime advocate for and defender of the industry, it has been in the last two years that our focus has narrowed sharply to the challenges posed by the dangerous, ongoing drought in our state. When we started this journey we never dreamed where it would take us, but as 2015 comes to a close we are confident that next year will bring even more successes our way.

The year began with the state still in the grips of the four year drought that has devastated California’s water supply and forced both governments and residents to critically examine water usage. The CPSA’s work in 2014 proved to be the foundation for the year ahead, as our many successful interactions with water districts the previous year paved the way for the challenges ahead. Instead of water districts considering reactionary and potentially disastrous bans on water use by pools and spas, 2015 saw the same idea being considered by cities and towns throughout the state.

Beginning with the city of Morgan Hill in April, the CPSA reached out to and interacted with cities all over California, closely monitoring both press and city council agendas to watch for proposed bans on water usage by swimming pools and spas. In total, the CPSA interacted with 51 cities and water districts with proposed bans of all kinds, and in nearly every case garnered a positive response. This work is difficult and ongoing, but it is critical to the future survival of the industry in California. By ensuring that cities and water districts do not react to a volatile situation with ignorance or misinformation, the CPSA helps to protect the pool and spa industry from being discriminated against by prohibitions that have no basis in fact. It is impossible to know what the next year will bring for our water supplies, but no matter how much rain California receives the CPSA is ready to tackle whatever lies ahead and continue defending the industry into the future.

One of the most exciting journeys of 2015 was the process of growing the association’s membership by leaps and bounds. One of the CPSA’s ongoing challenges has been rebuilding our membership rolls after the devastating effects of the recession on our industry, and this year is when all of our hard work began to pay off. Over the course of the year, thanks in large part to the diligence of several outstanding members, CPSA more than doubled its membership, with 168 new businesses having pledged their support at the time of writing this article. Along with this wonderful success, we have also improved our membership retention rates with an improved billing system, resulting in a stronger association overall. We cannot thank the members and associations who contributed to this successful effort enough, and we look forward to carrying this momentum forward into the new year.

Along with expanding our membership and our advocacy, the CPSA has also concentrated this year on the expansion of our outreach with both the public and other allied associations. We have spent the year in discussions with other groups and associations dedicated to the advancement of the pool and spa industry determining how best to represent its many and varied interests. Discussions with associations such as the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals, the National Swimming Pool Foundation, and the Independent Pool and Spa Service Association have been productive and enlightening, and we are confident than in the next year we will be able to form a powerful coalition of associations with the CPSA as the advocacy arm of the industry in California. Such a coalition would present a united front against any challenges that are yet to come, and we look forward to making it a reality.

It has been an exciting and productive year for the CPSA. We have expanded rapidly over the last twelve months, and with this forward momentum of growth and accomplishments we hope to go even further over the next twelve. None of this would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our members, as well as everyone who has contributed to the drought fund and association in general. With your support, we can ensure a bright and prosperous future for the pool and spa industry now and in the future.